Cup, Baseball, Prom...must be spring!

I consider myself pretty lucky! Recently, I spent two weekends in a row traveling to (in my opinion) the greatest state in the U.S.

With a perfect weekend in Charleston behind me, I hit I-20 once again to embark on my 4^th Carolina Cup.

First stop, Thirsty Fellow, to visit my favorite weatherman, Garrett, He promised to give us good weather for Cup, and as always, he delivered!

 

Just a few blocks away from the restaurant, we entered the gates of Carolina Stadium to watch the two-time national champions devour A&M. Go Gamecocks!

 

 

The main event for the weekend, however, was not Cola-- It was the ever-famous, ever-entertaining, Carolina Cup in Camden, SC.

 

Armed and ready, a great group of Carolinians (both North & South), headed to Springdale Race Course. We had everything we needed for a perfect day at the races:

Mint juleps

 

 

Good beer

 

Moonshine

Cornhole

 

Fabulous outfits

 

And...our ID's-- although, I'm the only one who actually needed it! :( (yes, I got carded at Cup!)

Because we were staying at Taylor's house on Lake Wateree, our tradition of racing to Monterrey's in the Vista was broken, but we had plenty of enchiladas ready to toss in the oven, and after dinner, some of us even enjoyed a chilly dip in the lake. I promise the mint juleps had NO impact on that decision at all!!

 

 

After such a fabulous weekend, it is always hard to return to work on Monday. Good thing I had a halfday and the Braves home opener to look forward to! This was my first "adult" Braves game, and I thoroughly enjoyed the festivities. Shout out to my new fave, Justin Upton--I know you've been hitting those home runs for me and my #8 jersey! ;)

 

 

 

Reliving my youth is a favorite pasttime lately, and I really hit the jackpot when Taylor asked me to prom!!!!! Ha :)

It was his law school "prom," AKA the Barrister's Ball, and boy, have I come a LONG way from the streamer-lined "old gym" at Clinton High School.

Pre-prom dinner was at Escorpion in Midtown. I stayed safe and went with Sangria and enchiladas. Taylor, as usual, was a little more brave-- lengua (beef tongue) tacos. I tried it, and I have to say, it tastes just like beef...but the texture is less than desirable!

 

 

 

 

The event was held at the Biltmore Hotel-- again, a far cry from the gym at my high school, which I'm pretty sure was constructed in the 50's!

 

A few highlights of the night: the brie platter, people watching (a girl wore a floor-length gingham dress...) and of course, the open bar!

 

Now, I've checked back in to my 22-year-old "adult" life and resumed my weekly schedule. Only thing getting me through this week is the blast from my past coming to town very soon. Can't wait to have my Stephsie in ATL!

Thanks for reading, y'all!

 

I get by with a little help from my friends!

It’s hard to appreciate how great your friends are until you spend an entire weekend reuniting! A couple weeks back I had the privilege of sharing a few days with some old friends and some OLD OLD friends!

A wedding for a pledge sister brought me and Taylor down to Charleston, and boy was I glad to be in South Carolina!

 

Our first stop was Five Loaves Café in Mt. Pleasant. We discovered this place from a quick Google search, and I think we made a great choice! To start, we toasted to the beginning of a reunion weekend. I had a Westbrook White Thai, and Taylor tried something new—Green Flash West Coast IPA, which he said tasted like grass.

 

For lunch, we both went with soup & sandwich combos. Chicken salad and broccoli cheddar and potato soup for me; salmon salad (yuck) with tomato soup for Mr. Dove. I highly recommend this lunch spot-- lots of gluten free and vegetarian options!

 

With our tummy’s full, we checked into our hotel and started getting ready for the big event. Well, I started getting ready…Taylor went across the street to TJ Maxx to buy a tie because he conveniently forgot to pack one…for a wedding weekend….

The ceremony was, of course, beautiful. As the first of what will be tons of weddings from our pledge class, there were many tears shed, but all eyes were dry for the fabulous reception!

 

The atmosphere (Boone Hall Plantation—aka Allie’s summer home in ‘The Notebook’) was absolutely gorgeous, and the service wasn’t bad either. I can’t complain when I’m greeted at the door with a cocktail. Who can resist a little sweet tea--the house wine of the South, as they say in 'Steel Magnolias.'

 

Lauren and Jay did a wonderful job picking out the menu. Shrimp and grits, mac and cheese bites and my favorite, a cupcake bar!

 

 

 

A highlight from the reception was the singing of "Shades," a Chi Omega tune that is performed by all Chi O’s at a sister’s reception. It was my first time participating in this tradition, and I cannot wait to do it at many more weddings!

The best part of the event was reuniting with some of my best friends. I don’t think I’ve laughed that much in months! I’m very grateful to the newlyweds for bringing us all back together! If only we could figure out a way to go back to college!

 

 

Congratulations, Lauren & Jay!

 

Because we’d made the long trek to Charleston from ATL, we figured we'd make a weekend of it. Saturday, I decided we’d have brunch at the restaurant where my high school BFF works. Blind Tiger Pub was the perfect place to nurse our hangovers, and Amanda was a fabulous host to our VERY large group.

She even served us our post-wedding mimosas and bloody marys in the rain!

 

After lunch, I said goodbye to my college BFF’s and headed to take a quick nap before our delicious dinner at Virginia’s on King.

 

Again, Taylor did a Google search and stumbled upon this insanely delicious eatery. I’m embarrassed to say this, but I polished off this country fried steak, mac and cheese and green beans with ease. Guess I brought my big girl appetite to Charleston!

 

A couple hundred (thousand) calories later, we headed to Social Wine Bar to meet up with some of my high school friends. A couple mojitos and some much-needed catching up was a great way to spend my Saturday night!

 

We even snuck in some shots at Mac's Place (thanks Taylor Cook, and sorry I don’t have any pics with you and Virg!!) and of course, Emy and Amanda kept us entertained.

                                     

 

I am so blessed to have such amazing friends, both from high school and college! Some times I forget just how lucky I am.

As cheesy as it sounds, that Girl Scout tune “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold,” couldn’t be more true.

Thank goodness for weekends that remind me of some of my favorite friendships, and hallelujah for the weekend’s cure—Waffle House coffee and an All-Star Special! Mmm Mmm Mmm

 

PS—keep an eye out soon for a recap from my first post-grad Carolina Cup!

Workin' for the weekend

For those out there in the real world, I think we can all agree with one thing—we live for the weekends!

Living in a new city is especially exciting on the weekends, as there are many new things to explore. I have to admit—I have gotten quite hooked on a few specific places (if you can’t tell), but I’m still taking chances and trying new bars, restaurants, stores, etc.

A few weeks back I played my favorite role as hostess once again for Alli and Chris! After a small mishap (taking a wrong turn and ending up in the ghetto), the twosome arrived ready to party! Naturally, Alli was frantic because she didn’t have time to get a bottle of champagne. She should’ve known better—I keep my fridge stocked with bubbly at ALL times!

After toasting to the start of a great weekend, we headed to one of those spots I’m hooked on! Aspen Bartini

We started with a round of shots from our fave bartender—thanks, Michelle!

Reunion!

 

We called it an early-ish night to prepare ourselves for Saturday’s festivities. I couldn’t help but take the guests to Sweetwater—ok, I’ll admit, this is one of those places I can’t get enough of, but $10 for 6 half pours is too good to be true!

Some of you may wonder how we manage to survive these marathon Saturdays full of non-stop sipping and munching…well, the trick is easy, keep it going!

While Taylor and Chris did some manly bonding (probably involving FIFA and bourbon), the girls went back to my house for spinach dip and a few more cocktails by the fire!

As expected, we took our guests to Decatur, which is yet again one of those places I’ve become totally obsessed with. Naturally, we went to Brickstore and enjoyed a quick brew before sitting down in a cozy nook to enjoy a delicious dinner!

We started with an assortment of yummy appetizers—sausage and grit cakes, pretzels and hummus. Then, Taylor enjoyed a slice of Shepherd’s Pie—delicious!

 

And thanks to Alli, we ended the meal with some delicious Tittle Pop, Brickstore’s tasty spin on traditional caramel corn!

The next morning, we headed to J. Christopher’s which is a casual breakfast chain. The bright colors seen throughout this quirky eatery always give me a good laugh. The quiche, however, is nothing to laugh about—yum!

 

After Alli and Chris headed back to the City of Dreams (Cola), Alli (roomie, not guest) and I had the privilege of hosting a Stella & Dot trunk show. Alli handled the food because, as we all know, the girl can seriously bake!! I stuck to what I do best—purchasing, serving and consuming cocktails!

 

We had such a great Sunday Funday shopping right from our own living room!

Just two weekends later, I welcomed another South Carolina couple—my mom and soon-to-be (eventually) stepdad!

After some manual labor (it’s impossible for my parents to visit without doing a little furniture moving), we headed to Decatur for some St. Patrick’s Day fun. It was a gorgeous day and a perfect time to try out a pub besides Brickstore. I have to say, Mac McGee's is definitely a new fave. They had an encyclopedia-sized book of whiskeys....Scott and Taylor were in heaven!

 

For dinner, we decided to try Leon's Full Service, and I was very impressed. I was finally able to try Dogfish Head’s Aprihop (after lusting after my sister’s Instagram photo), and my brisket sandwich, fries and goat cheese fondue were on point!

 

Scott was even able to cross an item off his bucket list—trying absinthe, a highly alcoholic beverage which was previously thought to cause hallucinations (I'm guessing some time in the 60s & 70s). The report: no hallucinations, and it tasted like stale licorice. Won’t be trying that any time soon!

So I’ll continue exploring ATL and working for my weekends—stay tuned for tales from a Charleston wedding, and in a few weeks, the biggest event for any Gamecock alum—Carolina Cup! Keep ya posted!